Iced Out
by Elizabeth Milkovich
Summary: Everyone was making the best of their unexpected snow day. Since all the schools in Karakura Town had been shut down due to last night's heavy snowfall, the group decided to go out and enjoy their day off. ONESHOT. ToshxHina.


Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any characters in this story T.T

On with le story.

Everyone was making the best of their unexpected snow day. Since all the schools in Karakura Town had been shut down due to last night's heavy snowfall, the group decided to go out and enjoy their day off. Rukia suggested ice-skating, and everyone seemed taken with her idea. Well...almost everyone.

Hinata looked out upon the frozen lake, watching her friends from the snow bank she stood on. Everyone seemed to be having a great time; Rangiku was pulling Orihime along, Ichigo and Renji were fixated in a race. Rukia was off by herself, skating with a grace Hinata never seen before.

_'I wonder if Hitsugaya-kun is good as this,'_ she thought to herself, glancing at the boy standing beside her. He was silently observing the rowdy bunch, scoffing occasionally when heated arguments sparked between Ichigo and Renji.

"As always, they get so worked up no matter where we go," he muttered under his breath, a wisp of warm air evaporating from his lips. Hinata smiled at him, and it wasn't long before he was aware of her eyes on him.

"You've ice-skated before, right, Hitsugaya-kun?" she asked, stepping closer so she could lean against him. He hummed softly in response. "Are you going to go out?"

"Yeah, but to be honest, it doesn't interest me," he shrugged. "What about you, though? This seems the kind of thing you'd like."

Silence fell between them. Hinata was at a loss for words. Seconds ticked on and Toushiro's curiosity grew the longer she delayed. Finally, it clicked to him. "You can't ice-skate."

A rosy red blossomed on her cheeks, and she nodded somewhat sadly. "No, I can't. I had no one to teach me…and I was too scared to teach myself."

Toushiro sighed, and he looked out to the group for a moment, then back to Hinata's sad expression. With a roll of his eyes, he gently took a hold of Hinata's arms and guided her to where their skates were, sitting unused on the bench.

"Hitsugaya-kun? What-"

"I'll help you with your balance," he sat down on the bench, motioning Hinata to sit by him. He reached for his skates, "but after that, you'll have to try on your own, alright?"

Hinata's quizzical expression morphed into a delighted smile. "Thank you, Hitsugaya-kun. I'd like that."

They put on their skates, and then when they were done, Toushiro took Hinata by the hand and carefully helped her onto the frozen lake. Hinata faltered when she felt the slick and bumpy surface beneath her and with her free hand, she grabbed the sleeve of Toushiro's jacket.

"I got you," he assured, giving her hand a slight squeeze for emphasis. Hinata took a deep breath, albeit shakily, and nodded. As they slid further out, Toushiro was giving her some pointers on how to adjust her balance, stop, speed up and so on.

"Are you ready to give it a try?"

"I-I think so," she lessened her iron-tight grip on his sleeve, and then he released her hand. Hinata wobbled slightly, but stayed on her feet for most part. She moved her right foot, glided on the slick ice, and then moved her left foot.

"I'm doing it," she whispered in surprise, a smile overtaking her nervous frown. Beside her, Toushiro watched her carefully, ready to catch her should she fall.

"Yay! Go, Hinata-chan~!" Rangiku cheered happily as she slid by, startling Hinata out of the concentrated focus she was in. A gasp escaped her lips as she felt herself starting to lose her balance. Toushiro was quick to react, and caught her under the arms just in time.

A low, teasing whistle erupted from Ichigo's lips, to which Toushiro scowled at. Renji quickly joined in the playful teasing, throwing out catcalls that were inappropriate for younger ears. A well placed smack on their heads, courtesy of an angry Rukia, effectively silenced their antics.

"Idiots," he hissed under his breath, readjusting his grip on Hinata. It was an awkward position they were in. Her legs had given away and so she was literally hanging on him. Hinata buried her face in his chest, trying to hide her flushed face.

"Are you alright?"

He felt her nod against him.

"You want to take a break?"

She shook her head and raised her head. Her face was as red as Renji's hair, but she managed to keep her speech steady. "I-I'm fine now, Hitsugaya-kun."

"Only if you're sure."

"C-could you help me up?"

"Yeah," he helped her back onto her feet, swaying slighting with effort. Once they regained their balance, he let go of her. She stayed on her feet, and confident she'd be fine, he began to back away to give her some space.

"Wait, Hitsugaya-kun!"

"I'm not leaving, I'm just-"

Before he could get the rest of his sentence out, Hinata glided right up to him, leaned down and planted a kiss on his lips. Hinata drew away and tried very hard not to laugh at the stunned expression on her face.

"Thank you, Hitsugaya-kun," she whispered.

His face heated slightly with embarrassment, and he tore his gaze from hers to glare at the icy lake beneath him.

"You're welcome, " he muttered under his breath.

Perhaps ice-skating wasn't as uninteresting as he thought.


End file.
